Where Blood, Silver, Gold, and Opportunity Flow
by The Aberrant One
Summary: A spin-off from Trojan Seeress' "Son of the Dragon" 'Verse. Shortly after the Hogwarts group arrived in Nirn, a second group was quietly invited by Silandra Stillglade to explore Skyrim's more interesting areas for possible investment. Needless to say, Gringotts was definitely interested in this place called "Black Reach".
1. It starts at a bar

Author's Notes: This was just some crazy idea I got while reading "Son of the Dragon" by Trojan Seeress. I was just joking around in PM and I actually got the twisted idea to make a story out of this that is set in her 'verse. It was mostly a bunch of "Gringotts journal entries", but I decided to flesh it out a little. After talking to Trojan Seeress about it, she gave me the okay to play in her sandbox. It's not much and I'm not sure how often I'll update it, but it's only going to be a few chapters long at most (because I'm still working on that cursed "War of Angels" series of fics that just won't die...LOL!)

Anyway, this story is set at roughly the same time as "Son of the Dragon" and takes place a few days after the Hogwarts group has arrived at the college. Also, from the way I read the story, it appears that most of the events from the Skyrim game happened at least a decade before Trojan Seeress' story takes place. TS, if I'm wrong, correct me. That is why Lucia is in her early 20s (she wasn't so much as adopted, but was taken in by the Companions with Silandra as her sponsor). I don't think she has shown up the original story, which is why I'm using her.

Also, this has not been beta-read. So don't be surprised by any typos or other errors. If and when I catch them, I will correct them.

Oh, and before anyone asks, yes, Grimtooth is based on an old-school fantasy supplement that was popular among the D&D tabletop crowd (and if you can find the old trap books, they are fun to read).

Disclaimer: HP owned by JKR. Elder Scrolls owned by Bethesda.

* * *

 **Gringotts Bank (where blood, silver, and gold flow)**

 **Diagon Alley Branch**

 **London, United Kingdom**

Senior Branch Manager Ragnok sat at his desk in his private office at Gringotts, a curious look on his features which would be frightening to humans if they ever saw the old battle-scarred goblin lost in thought. The London branch recently received a magical trunk via a portal from Nirn, a world on a different plane of existence that no one had heard of until a few months ago when Silandra Stillgrade walked through their doors.

While she was a magical being, Silandra Stillglade was clearly no wizard...by Merlin's beard, she wasn't even human! She identified her species (and that of her son) as a Bosmer and she didn't come off as a normal wizard did. Yes, she came off as being some sort of noble and sure of herself, but it was obvious that she had earned the right to act that way. She moved as a warrior, not as a spoiled and self-entitled wizard, and it was obvious that she was more than capable of backing up her claims.

After some dealing and a few lengthy (and very interesting) conversations with the other department managers, a major deal was struck and Gringotts was permitted to explore a region in this new world known as Nirn. To be more precise, it was what Silandra herself declared as a "relatively dangerous region" that didn't fall under any particular hold's jurisdiction and they were more than welcome to explore Aftland and Blackreach.

It sounded almost like a challenge and that got the old goblin's attention. So he assembled a group of his best researchers, a handful of warriors, and even a couple cursebreakers that included that young human wizard Billius Weasley. While Ragnok did not care much for human wizards (he found them arrogant and full of themselves), he cut the human some slack because he found it interesting that there was a young wizard who wanted "to see what's really out there and not stagnate here at home". It also helped that the young man was willing to learn all he can from his goblin co-workers and was very respectful about it.

And then there was head of the team, Grimtooth, one of Ragnok's own kin with a very promising future in the branch. The fact that Grimtooth and the Weasley worked well together was good...and a little more disconcerting when the two talked about the kind of traps they could encounter and bypass.

 _Merlin forbid if those two ever decided to follow a career in security management here._

Ragnok shuddered at that thought before he opened the letter which had accompanied a small journal belonging to Account Research Manager Ironfang. Before he started to read the letter, his gaze drifted over to the bottle of fire-whiskey on his desk. He briefly considered pouring himself a shot, but decided not to. At least not yet…

* * *

 _ **To: Ragnok Steelgrave, Senior Branch Manager, Gringotts London**_

 _ **From: Grimtooth, International Investment and Acquisitions Agent, Gringotts London**_

 _ **Subject: The Stillglade/Nirn Agreement**_

 _ **Dear Sir,**_

 _ **Enclosed are a few reports regarding our current situation on the property acquisition deal that Silandra Stillglade brokered for us and, as you can see from the items that we shipped to you in the trunk, it has been a profitable venture. Yes, there were some fatalities, but I would dare say it was worth it. My suggestion, however, is that you might want to send some actual soldiers with the next group. As you will see in the journal entries of Ironfang, Nirn has some surprises.**_

 _ **Unfortunately, Ironfang is no longer with us. No, he is not dead, but he seems to have gone a little mental and was last seen running across the frozen wasteland north of the township called Winterhold. According to some witnesses he was last seen taking residence in a makeshift outpost that housed a Dwemer device (more on the Dwemer later and believe me when I say what little we discovered about them is very disconcerting). What we do know is that Ironfang read a black tome that radiated great power and it did something to his mind.**_

 _ **Oddly enough, Curse Breaker Weasley also read the book. While it did throw him into a trance similar to Ironfang for several minutes he came out of it mostly stable, though he did say that there are some places that even he won't go again and that book was one of them. We have sealed the book with our strongest security runes and have sent it back for your research department to look at it. Whatever you do, however, DO NOT read or allow anyone else to read it until you figure out how to bypass whatever is in it.**_

 _ **I conclude this letter by once again saying that the deal we have made with Silandra Stillglade was profitable, but it is also a dangerous one. You will learn more about this as you read through Ironfang's journal entries.**_

 _ **Sincerely,**_

 _ **Grimtooth of the Steelgrave Clan, International Investment and Acquisitions Agent, Gringotts**_

 _ **P.S.**_

 _ **Uncle Ragnok, I'm serious, send us some more soldiers, this place is huge. Also, some acromantula proof clothing and armor would be welcome and advised...trust me on this.**_

* * *

Ragnok frowned after reading the postscript to the letter, but it wasn't because of his nephew being unprofessional and addressing him directly. It was the fact that the young goblin RARELY wrote postscripts unless there were some serious ramifications to consider and THAT was something to be concerned about. Grimtooth was a cool and collected individual who had no problems facing off against a rampaging mountain troll, especially when potential profit was involved.

Once again, his eyes drifted over to the bottle of fire-whiskey. After a couple seconds of deliberation, he poured himself a shot in a small glass and gulped it down, pausing for a moment to savor the pleasant burning sensation as it went down his throat. He then turned his attention to the small journal that was with the letter and started reading it.

* * *

 _ **October 22 (I'll be damned if I ever figure out the Nirnian calendar)**_

 _ **We quietly arrived in the magical college of Winterhold as we didn't want to alert any members of the Hogwarts contingent to our presence. Though we had packed well for this expedition, Curse Breaker Weasley and Agent Grimtooth felt it would be wise to talk to the local population of Winterhold to inquire about possible dangers between the town and our destination and any additional supplies we might need. We were quite surprised, however, by the reaction of the people in regard to our presence. Though there was some mild hostility among them, it was more about us being "outsiders" than it was about most of us being goblins.**_

 _ **In fact, we were asked by the librarian of the Mages College if we were perhaps an offshoot of his native Orcimer race while we were at the local inn. Other than the fact that we were "outlanders", they didn't really give us a second glance.**_

 _ **Ironically it was Billius Weasley who garnered the most hostility from some of the patrons of the inn's bar. There were a couple instructors from the college there and one of them immediately became hostile when they heard his name. He was asked if he was related to a Ronald and Molly Weasley, which he did confirm. This led to an argument that suddenly became a brawl that ended when Grimtooth and Cursebreaker Weasley threw the angry instructor and two of his fellow instigators out the front door, leaving several unconscious people and damages that, unfortunately, we did have to pay for.**_

 _ **However, it was declared that honor was satisfied and one of the orcimer combat instructors from the college said that we had proved ourselves and declared Cursebreaker Weasley as 'an honorable man' which immediately got the rest of the Winterhold patrons at the inn to leave Weasley alone. When Cursebreaker Weasley asked why he was regarded with such hostility, they merely said that he had honor and was not narrow minded as some of his kin. I suspect Weasley is going to have some words with members of his family when he returns home.**_

 _ **(Expense Account Item: 300 Galleons for damages and to cover our stay at the inn that night. Thankfully, the local mages were good at healing and there were plenty of healing potions to go around).**_

* * *

 **Frozen Hearth Inn**

 **Winterhold, Skyrim**

Lucia wasn't sure of what to make of the strange little group that Harbinger Silandra had authorized for an "expedition" to Blackreach. After meeting the first group of "Outworlders" that was currently at the college, she was certain that she wanted nothing to do with those mostly bigoted and self-important pieces of excrement. By oblivion, they almost made the thrice damned Thalmor seem like decent folk.

 _Okay,_ she thought to herself, _maybe that's going too far._

To be fair, not all of the so called Hogwarts (whoever named that school that school must have been on skooma at the time) group were like that. A more accurate assessment would be about one third of the group were looking at this as some great adventure, another third was frightened but curious, and the final third were the bigoted and self important pieces of excrement she was quietly hoping would be used as target practice.

Though she was still young, she had seen a lot in her twenty two years. The Civil War, demonic incursions, a vampire clan war, the Thalmor War, and, of course, Sam's 'Party of the Era' which made her swear never to drink anything other than mead ever again. Despite the horrors of the other events, it was the last one that still made her shudder since she couldn't quite recall what all happened during that party and that she was barred from ever setting foot on the Bard's College again.

Hellfire, she was still trying to figure out when she was at the Bard's College or how she even got there all the way from Riften!

However, all those events almost seemed trivial compared to the headache she was getting when dealing with some of the "Hogwarts" brats and one of their adult guardians. That Molly Weasley and her son were just asking to be dropped in the northern sea somewhere. And now, as the youngest member of the Companions Inner Circle, she was being charged by Silandra to accompany this other group of outworlders to Black Reach. At first she was reluctant to do so until they arrived and she noticed a couple things about the new group.

First, the group only had one human among them, the others appeared to be an offshoot of the rieklings of Solstheim (only more civilized, slightly larger, and entirely too much at ease with weapons around them). Silandra had told her that these "goblins" were basically "warrior bankers".

"And why hadn't you set them up to deal with the Silverbloods in Markarth?" Lucia asked her.

Silandra gave her an evil smirk. "Oh, I'm certain they'll cross paths at one point, and I'm looking forward to that day."

"You're still pissed off at them over the whole Forsworn thing, aren't you?"

"Maybe a little..."

Lucia couldn't help smiling at the memory of that conversation. If what Silandra had told her about the goblins was true, the saying of "Blood and Silver" would take an even more deadly meaning. Though most of the goblins stuck together, they were polite when spoken to and some were even comparing weapons with the local guardsmen. Even some of her fellow companions were curious, but respectfully kept their distance.

Except for Delvis.

Lucia never liked the man, but he had proven himself a capable warrior and was respected among the Companions. He didn't lack courage and was good in a fight, but he took the term "mercenary" to an all new level. He believed in just doing the job, and to oblivion to those who might have suffered collateral damage during the job. Most of the companions had some compassion and would help clean up things a little before moving on to the next job, but not Delvis. He was arrogant, opinionated, hot-headed, and was more than willing to back up his words with his blade or fists.

Delvis also hated the fact that, despite being a few years her senior, Lucia was invited to join the inner circle. It was a situation that finally came to a head a few months later that ended with him receiving a broken jaw and a couple broken limbs. Though he wasn't kicked out of the Companions for the loss, he was ordered by the Harbinger to join the staff at Winterhold as a combat instructor.

While she wasn't certain of Silandra's reasoning behind the assignment, she was certain that Delvis would be more easily brought to heel if he found himself pissing off Farkas or Vilkas who were also currently on rotation at the College. While Delvis had no problem insulting her, he was obviously wary (if not frightened by the two senior members of the Companions Inner Circle).

She saw the older man sneer at the group of goblins before shaking his head and muttering something in disgust before returning his attention to his drink.

Lucia decided to ignore him and turned her attention to the lone human (he looked like a Breton) in the Gringotts contingent who was chatting a way with a goblin. Unlike the rest of the Gringotts' group, these two stood out. The Breton wore some sort of coat made out of leather and the rest of his clothing appeared to be made out of dragon hide. He had a dragon tooth earring in one ear and his long red hair was held back in a ponytail. Lucia was certain the man had his wand (wands...she still couldn't believe how backwards these people were), possibly in the sleeve of his coat, but she could also tell that he had at least three daggers on him. His wiry build and the way be moved spoke of someone who, unlike the Hogwarts magicals, was constantly moving and regularly performed tasks that kept him in that condition. She also noticed that his eyes would occasionally look up and take in his surroundings.

 _He is constantly checking his surroundings, making sure he knows where the exit points are and his eyes are constantly assessing the situation. He moves much like one of the thieves guild...but he isn't._

She then turned her attention to the goblin the Breton was talking to. The goblin appeared to be younger than the rest of his brethren and was slightly smaller than them. From the slight stubble on his scalp, it was obvious that he shaved his hair off fairly regularly. Unlike the other goblins, he didn't appear to be wearing armor like the warriors or fancy clothes like their leader Ironfang. Instead, he wore simple trousers, a leather short coat and boots. He also carried a few throwing knives on his belt along with a curious leather pouch that seemed to glow ever so slightly.

There were an interesting pair and it was obvious that these two were good friends.

 _No,_ she mentally corrected yourself, not just friends...they talk like fellow warriors. As a werewolf, she was thankful for her slightly enhanced hearing as she listened to their conversation.

"Okay, let's look at the positive," the Breton said. "We're on the frontier of a new world."

"Yeah, but it's bloody cold," the goblin mock whined. "What is the point of exploring a new world when you're freezing your balls off."

"It was colder in Prague," countered the Breton.

"Yeah, but at least we could have a bonfire."

"'Tooth, I don't think burning down the pub would be considered a bonfire."

"It kept us warm, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but keep in mind that we were in the middle of the aforementioned building fighting for our lives."

"Heh, yeah, good times," the goblin chuckled. "But if I remember right, Bill, who was that guy who was fighting that vampire with a torch in one hand and a broken wand in the other while cheerfully singing 'Burning Down the House'?"

"For the record, I was half drunk, the broken wand was far more effective when I staked his arse."

"Um, yeah, you staked his arse alright. I thought stakes had to go through the heart."

"It worked, didn't it? I mean, he went pretty quickly after that."

"Only because you followed up the broken wand with the burning torch. And five minutes of him rolling around screaming in agony was not 'pretty quickly'."

"Hey, he and his crew tried to kill us, it was only fair we made him suffer a little."

"True."

"And we did retrieve the relic...even though it was a little blood stained and singed."

"Again, true."

"And that got us on this new assignment to check out this new land."

"Still not seeing the positive here, Bill. Yes, we got the job done, we got a handsome bonus for the artifact's recovery, and we are in a new land with loads of danger and opportunity around every corner. But you seem to be forgetting one thing."

"And what would that be, 'Tooth?"

The goblin called 'Tooth motioned in the direction of the richly dressed goblin leader called Ironfang who was sitting at another table writing something in a journal. "You forget that we have Ironfang the annoying bean-counter in charge."

Bill's head dropped in resignation. "Dammit," he groaned, "why did you have to bring that up?"

Lucia couldn't help giggling at the interaction, but managed to stifle it when the two outworlders looked in her direction. "Sorry," she said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation and I thought it was funny."

"And you are so bored, that you have to listen to us for entertainment?" the goblin asked.

"Well, it is a bar and there isn't much else to do but sit around and drink."

Bill and the goblin shared a look before shrugging. "Fair enough," Bill said as he got up from his chair. "Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," Lucia said, smiling as she noticed the two outworlders moving in tandem so they could cover each other's back if they got into a battle. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you two move like that?"

"Like what?" the goblin asked as he and Bill sat down at Lucia's table.

"Like you two are half-expecting an attack."

"Occupational hazard," Bill replied with a shrug. "We usually end up being attacked the first day of our arrival in a new location. By the way, as for introductions, my name is Bill Weasley and this is my partner, Grimtooth of the Steelgrave."

"Just call me 'Tooth," the goblin said before he took a sip of mead. "And you are..."

"Lucia, I'm a member of the Companions."

"Ah, the warrior guild." Grimtooth nodded his head in approval. "We've been briefed about your group."

"We'd call you mercenaries, but I get the feeling that would be insulting and you people seem to be more than that," Bill said.

Lucia laughed softly. "Calling us mere 'mercenaries' would be an insult. From what I've gathered from your conversation, I would surmise that you would be thieves of some sort."

The Breton and the goblin paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on their faces before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah...technically, I guess we are kind of thieves," Bill admitted. "But we are on a bank's payroll. They pay us to acquire stuff...usually lost or unique items."

"Items that are lost to history or are allegedly myths, but end up being protected by some very dangerous traps when we do find them," Grimtooth added.

"So what exactly do you two do?" Lucia asked.

"Nothing much," Bill said. "I'm just a curse breaker and Grimtooth is an engineer. Basically, I identify traps, disarm the magical traps and Grimtooth comes up with ways to disable or bypass them if magic doesn't work."

Lucia's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to it than that?"

"Because there is," Grimtooth replied, "but that's the most simplistic answer. The slightly more complicated answer is that we're given a job, we attempt to do the job, other people try to prevent us from doing the job usually by trying to kill us, we end up finishing the job after going through some scrapes, and then we get paid."

"And that job requires you to shove a broken wand and a torch up a vampire's 'arse'?" Lucia asked in amusement.

Bill sighed and rolled his eyes. "Again, I was drunk and wasn't quite in my right mind at the time."

"Burnin' down the house," Grimtooth coughed/sang.

"Sounds to me like a couple of clueless milk-drinkers," grumbled a new voice.

Lucia inwardly groaned as she saw Delvis approaching their table, a half empty bottle of Blackbriar mead in hand. "Anything I can help you with, Delvis?"

The man glared at her for a moment in half-drunken stupor, but he wasn't so far gone as to forget what happened the last time he fought with her. "Oh, no," he slurred. "I just couldn't help overhearing this Breton introducing himself. He said his last name was...Weasel?"

"Weasley," Bill corrected the man, slowly starting to get up from the table. Grimtooth was about to get up, but caught the shake of Bill's head and stayed where he was.

"Ah, yes, that's right, Weasley!" Devils roared with laughter. "Any relation to a whiny skeever named Ronald and a cow named Molly?"

Lucia saw something flicker in Bill's eyes for a moment, then his facial expression went completely blank. She then heard a snicker from Grimtooth who was muttering about how "this is gonna' be good".

"That would be my youngest brother and my mother, yes," Bill replied.

"Milk drinkers," Delvis spat, "the whole lot of you. Bet you were coddled by your mother too like the little bastard was." He then took the half empty bottle of mead and emptied it out on Bill's boots. Some of the more drunken locals at the inn laughed in approval, cheering the drunken companion on.

Lucia was about to say something but Grimtooth gently grabbed her by the arm. "No," the goblin said softly, "let it start...then we'll finish it."

Lucia looked up at Bill and studied his eyes. It was clear that the man was thinking on multiple plans of action all a once. After a couple more seconds, he then took a step forward towards Delvis. "Are you through?" he asked in an almost bored tone.

"What do you mean 'am I through'?" Delvis asked. "We haven't even started yet, Breton. What are you gonna' do, use your fancy pointed stick on me?" His remark got laughter from his drunken supporters who were egging him on in hopes of seeing a barfight.

"Oh, you mean this fancy pointed stick?" Bill asked as he brought his right arm up and his wand suddenly appeared in his hand. He was now standing a couple feet away from Delvis. He then shook his head. "No, because that wouldn't be right now, would it?"

"I would break your hand and skewer you before you had the chance," Delvis growled.

Bill nodded in agreement. "Oh, you're right, I'm sure you would," he said, getting a confused look from the Nord companion.

"Huh?"

"I said that I agree with you," Bill said, flicking his wrist and causing his wand to disappear back into his coat sleeve. "And this hand," he continued as he clenched his right fist, "is pretty much useless since it's my magic using hand."

"So what does tha-" Delvis was caught off guard. He was paying too much on Bill's right hand, that he wasn't prepared for the left fist that caught him squarely in the jaw. snapping his head to the side, and sending him stumbling backwards.

As Delvis stumbled back, Bill had grabbed the now empty bottle out of the man's hand and smashed it across his face as he tried to recover from the sucker punch. Delvis fell to the floor in front of his drunken supporters who now glared at Bill Weasley.

"Well," Bill said as he looked at the four angry men who were now helping Delvis get back on his feet. "I guess it's time for our usual brawl."

"To be fair, Bill, they haven't tried to kill us yet," Grimtooth sighed as he got up out of his chair.

"Oh, we're just getting started, riekling," Devis snarled.

"Okay, Delvis, that's enough," Lucia snapped.

"Stay out of this, little girl, it's not your fight," Delvis sneered. "Wouldn't want to ruin your standing with your-AUUUUUUUUUGH!" Delvis dropped to the floor again, screaming in agony due to the fact that a dagger was embedded in his boot, impaling his foot.

Seconds later, an all-out brawl erputed and became a complete free for all. The last thing Lucia remembered was Grimtooth climbing up on the bar and cheerfully shouting "Banzai!" before he jumped into the fray. Then she too got caught up in the brawl before eventually being knocked out cold by a chair to the back of the head.

* * *

Ragnok paused after reading the first entry, poured himself a shot, and slammed it back with practiced ease. Though Ironfang gave a detailed report and kept to a strict narrative, Ragnok could read between the lines and pretty much figured out what happened: Weasley's mere presence agitated some the locals, Grimtooth jumped in to back up his friend, and the two trashed the bar. He hoped it wasn't as bad as that incident in Prague a couple months ago...now THAT was a brutal confrontation and ended up with the tavern being burned down to the ground.

The old goblin let out a resigned sigh and resumed reading.


	2. There apparently was a brawl

Disclaimer: Skyrim, owned by Bethesda. HP, owned by JKR.

Author's Note: Once again, I want to thank Trojan Seeress for letting me play in her sandbox. Not much here in this chapter, mostly just an aftermath to the Frozen Hearth brawl. I did borrow one of TS' characters, but I'm trying to avoid using characters like Aralas/Harry, Silandra, and others actively involved with the college. Also, not sure how to portray Bill in this, so I'm just kind of winging it. He and Grimtooth are good friends (and I hope to show a few flashbacks eventually on how they first met) and I have them kind of playing off each other throwing snide comments back and forth. As for Ironfang...oh, I have something planned for him (though I'm trying to go through various Elder Scrolls lore to figure out which route I want to take), I know he comes off as kind of a whiny (and a little cowardly), but all I'm gonna' say is that there's more to it.

Author's Note 2: Oh, and just so you know, this is not beta-read so there are probably a bunch of errors. I will correct them as I catch them when I re-read the chapter.

* * *

 _ **Frozen Hearth Inn**_

 _ **Winterhold, Skyrim**_

"Disgraceful," Ironfang hissed at the two men standing in front of him as he wrote something in his journal before putting it back in his coat. "Do you two realize how much trouble you're in?"

Bill turned to Grimtooth. "Trouble? Did we get into trouble recently?"

The young goblin scratched his chin, eyes squinting slightly. "Recently...hmm...define recently. Recently as in the last week, month, couple of months?" Then he frowned as he looked at Ironfang. "Um, could you please clarify the case of trouble you're referring to, because we're always in trouble."

"I'm referring to the brawl that you got into a few hours ago!"

"Brawl? Were we in a brawl, 'Tooth?"

"Hmmm...let me think for a second, Bill. Was there alcohol involved?"

"Probably."

"Then I have no recollection of what happened a few hours ago."

"I also confirm Grimtooth's testimony because I also have no recollection of what happened a few hours ago," Bill said. "Perhaps you might enlighten us as to what happened and it may jog our memory and allow us to confirm or deny certain events that may or may not have occurred a few hours ago."

Though Bill and Grimtooth managed to keep straight faces, the other goblins in the group watching from one of the few intact tables in the tavern were failing to hide their snickers at the antics of the two. To them, Ironfang was a glorified bean-counter whose days as a warrior were behind him. While he did file reports and act like he was in charge, the others looked to the younger Goblin and his wizard partner in crime for leadership.

"You started a fight with one of our host's men!" Ironfang looked like he was about to have a seizure, his grayish skin taking on a more bluish tint.

"We did?" Gtimtooth blinked a couple times, his eyes squinting in concentration for a moment before he snapped his fingers. "Oh yes, now I remember something."

"You do?" Bill asked, trying not to grin because he knew where his friend was going with this argument.

"I think it had something to do with a bunch rabid rabbits and firewhisky."

The mention of that incident made Ironfang's face darken even more.

"Or maybe it was something to do with the gorilla incident in the Congo?" Bill offered.

"No, we know the idiot who screwed that up. Maybe that temple in Peru?"

"The one with the dancing snake?"

"Yep."

"Nah...we know who that was too. Could have been-"

"ENOUGH!" Ironfang yelled, hoping it would stop the two from going through list of unfortunate incidents he had been stuck in in the past. "You two idiots may have cost us a lucrative business deal!" He then gave Grimtooth a malicious grin. "What do you think you're uncle would have to say about your failure? He'll have you sweeping the floors of the empty vaults for the next two decades." Then he glared at Bill in disgust. "And you, wizard, have no right to be working for our establishment."

"Zombie Chicken!" coughed Grimtooth.

"What was that, Agent Grimtooth?"

"Oh...nothing...just...pecking...er...listening away."

Ironfang continued to glare at the two. "Oh, we'll see how amusing you two are when I send my next report."

"Then please inform Ragnok that it was a matter of honor and that honor was satisfied," rumbled a new voice. Everyone turned to see an orcimer in steel armor standing in the doorway of the Frozen Heath. His face and arms sported numerous scars and one of his tusks was slightly chipped, but that only added to his fearsome image. Flanked by the companion Lucia and a large Nord who almost made him look small, the Oricmer stepped forward, stopping in front of Bill and Grimtooth. He stared at the two men who stared back at him. He then noticed how the two shifted their weight. To most bystanders, it would seem like an innocent (or nervous) shuffling of feet or change of posture, but the battle-scarred veteran and the two Companions recognized the movement for what it was...two men preparing for a fight.

"So you are the two who dealt with Delvis and his bunch," he growled in amusement.

"Not really," Bill said. "I took him by surprise by sucker-punching him. I know some of you might find that dishonorable, but he would have taken me apart otherwise."

"I see," the Orcimer said. "So you, a 'milk drinker' mage, used the element of surprise to take out a superior opponent."

"It was a gamble. He assumed I was nothing without my wand, and I made sure he saw me put it back in my sleeve and kept him focused on my right hand.

"This is my magic hand," coughed Lucia, repeating the line Bill had used against Delvis. She managed to stifle a giggle, but she couldn't hide her smile.

"And this dagger?" The Orcimer's expression was unreadable as he pulled out the dagger that had been deeply embedded in Delvis' foot earlier.

"That would be mine," Bill said. "What, you think the wand is only thing I keep in the sleeve of my coat?"

"Huh," the Orc grunted. "Definitely not a milk-drinker and more than a mere mage." He handed the dagger back to Bill. "You more than have the right to carry this weapon. It is well crafted...balanced and very durable. If you don't mind me asking, where did you acquire it?"

Bill gestured at Grimtooth with his head as he took the dagger back from the orc before making it vanish with a little bit of slight of hand into his jacket. "You'll have to talk to 'Tooth, he made it. But I'm not sure where he gets the materials though."

"Really?" The Orc arched an eyebrow. "So you smith as well?"

Grimtooth shrugged. "A little, I dabble here and there. I'm more the engineering type. We find a trap, I study it, Bill and I bounce ideas on how to bypass it, he then bypasses it, and I study the various magic and mechanisms involved. The weapons thing is more of a side-job since we have to sometimes craft and customize our own gear."

"They're mere sub-contractors," Irongfang snapped. "That's all."

The orc turned his head to glare at the older goblin. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I was talking to you." He then turned to reface Grimtooth and Bill. "I am Nargoz Gro-logar," he said offering his hand to Grimtooth who cautiously shook it. "I'm one of the combat instructors at the college. Arch Mage Silandra sent me to settle this dispute."

"We intended no disrespect," Ironfang hastily said. "I will see that these two are dealt with accordingly."

Nargoz glared at Ironfang again, causing the goblin to step back a few feet. "See that you do, Mr. Ironfang. They deserve a raise for having to deal with you as their overseer."

"I agree," Ironfang replied, the Orc's words not quite registering in his mind. "I will indeed contact Director Ragnok and...wait...what!?"

Nargoz ignored Irongfang's outburst and turned back to Bill and Grimtooth. "If you two decide to look for work elsewhere, feel free to contact the Arch-Mage or myself." He then looked down at Grimtooth. "And if you craft any more of those daggers, I would like to purchase a dozen of them. Master Gray-mane would definitely be interested in examining your work."

"I'll definitely keep that in mind," Grimtooth said, not sure who this "Master Gray-mane" was, but the reactions of some of the Nords in the pub, including Lucia, told him that Gray-mane was someone very important. "Sadly, we are contracted to Gringotts, but we might be available for freelance work when this job is completed."

Nargoz nodded in understanding. "Speaking of your current contract, I'm also here to inform you that Lucia and Farkas here will be joining you, along with a few others from the Companions guild to serve as your guides and escort." He raised a hand when some of the goblin warriors looked like they were about to protest. "I do not mean to insult your combat prowess, but you are strangers to Skyrim and the Arch-Mage thought it would be wise for you to have people with you who are familiar to the area. And then there's the added bonus."

"Bonus, what added bonus?" Ironfang asked irritably, not liking the fact that he was being mostly ignored.

"What he said," Grimtooth added, getting a smirk from Bill.

"We will be also bringing supplies to the excavation site of the underground ruins of Saarthal which is along the way," the large man called Farkas replied. "Lucia here says that this sounds like a place that some of you might be interested in.

"I'm not sure if we would be permitted," Ironfang started to say, but he was immediately cut off by Grimtooth and Bill.

"We'll do it!"

"No, we were not permitted by the Director to go outside our agreement," Ironfang snapped. "It would incur extra costs!"

Bill shook his head and let out a disappointed sigh. "Dammit, 'Tooth, he's right. After all, we don't want to risk costing the company more gold."

"Yeah," Grimtooth grumbled. "Who cares if it's a mostly underground ruin that might have hidden secrets, right?"

"And who knows what treasures might be there...it's not like your uncle...oops, I mean the Director would be disappointed if we bypassed an opportunity like this."

"Yeah, you're right, it's not like he'd get mad or anything. After all, he only maimed the last guy who cost the company a half million in Galleons."

"What did he do to Longnail for that, again?"

"Demoted him to records, he goes by the name 'Stumps' now."

Bill winced at that. "Ouch."

"Indeed, I thought were just going to call him Halfnail, but Uncle Ragnok took five knuckles off his right hand."

"Okay, okay!" exclaimed Ironfang, who really didn't want to risk an angry Director taking pieces of his fingers for passing up a business deal. "We can go...maybe you'll do something stupid and get yourselves killed."

"Thanks, boss," Bill chuckled, "we knew you actually liked us."

"And we promise to take back half the bad things we said about you," Grimtooth added.

Nargoz laughed and nodded in approval. "It's settled then. If you find any gold or items of interest, you're welcome to keep it or possibly barter with the mages working the site for what you find." He then turned to leave, but gently grabbed Lucia by the arm and guided her outside the Frozen Hearth. He waited until they were outside and the door had closed before he spoke again. "Your opinions of them?"

"Most of the goblins are warriors, though it's obvious they have training when it comes to other things like item appraisal and such. Grimtooth seems to be an exception. He seems more interested in mechanical constructs, especially when it comes to traps and security measures. The same with William Weasley, though he appears to handle the magical and stealth part of the operation. He moves like a member of the Thieves guild, especially when it comes to fighting."

"Weasley," repeated Nargoz. "I believe two of his kind up at the college. At least he's proven that not all of that clan are milk drinkers."

"Indeed," Lucia said, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. She found Grimtooth and Bill interesting. They weren't shield-brothers, but she felt a sense of familiarity with them...as if she could trust them to watch her back when in battle. "So what does Harbinger Silandra want to do about them?"

"Assist them and assess them," the Orcimer replied. "They and the warriors accompanying them seem like good folk, but there's something about their overseer that's not sitting right with me."

"He did seem afraid about going to Saarthal."

Nargoz shook his head in disagreement. "No, there's more to it than that. I could see it in his eyes, it wasn't fear. He seems intent on the getting to Blackreach...and not deviating from the objective."

"Maybe he's just narrow minded and focusing on the one task that he sees as important," Lucia said. "We know a few people like that. Erikur from Solitude, Proventus Avenicci in Whiterun, and let's not forget the Silverblood pricks in Markarth."

The Orcimer chuckled at that. "Perhaps, but there is something else about him that's bugging me. He has an agenda, and I don't think it meshes with that of his employers."

"Then what should we do?"

"For now, nothing. Just assist where we can and observe his actions. That's all we can do for the time being."

* * *

 _October 23_

 _We headed southwest from Winterhold towards our destination. We are currently camped out at the Saarthal excavation site that mages from the College are still studying. While most of us rested for our continued journey to Aftland, Agent Grimtooth, Cursebreaker Weasley, and few of our warriors accepted the invitation look at the site._

 _As usual, Grimtooth and Weasley's luck continues to follow them, regardless of the fact that they are_ on _another world and far from home. In this case, they stumbled across an inner chamber that contained several_ draugr _(a form of animated dead, like a zombie or_ inferi _, but sentient enough to know how to use weapons). We lost one warrior when one of the_ draugr _roared some sort of spell that threw_ the him _into_ wall _of spikes that suddenly swung like a door and impaled him into a wall. Grimtooth, Weasley, and the others were able to finish off the creatures._

 _We also lost another warrior to some sort of_ acromantula _that was actually three times the size of a grown_ acromantula _. Weasley and Grimtooth killed the creature and brought its remains back to our camp so they can ship it home for our researchers to examine. They also managed to take some samples of the creature's venom that, when exposed to one's skin, seems to have the effects of a severe frostbite. I shudder to think_ at _what damage that can do to the insides of its prey._

 _While it is regrettable we lost two warriors, we did acquire an interesting specimen, several weapons, including a sword that seems to drain the strength from an enemy when they are hit with it. We also discovered a couple odd crystals that the locals call soul gems. After some negotiations with the Winterhold mages on site, we were permitted to keep the soul gems which will be sent back to Gringotts for research._

 _Expense Account Item: 50 Galleons and ten healing potions for the soul gems._


	3. An odd occurance on the road to Aftland

Disclaimer: Elder Scrolls, owned by Bethesda. Harry Potter, owned by JK Rowling. This twisted little fan created 'verse is actually Trojan Seeress' sandbox and she's letting me play in it. For those of you that don't know, this is set in the same world that her "Son of the Dragon" is set in.

Author's Notes: Okay, had to rebuild this chapter from scratch because it just wasn't coming together like I wanted it to. Still not good at writing multiple fight scenes all at once. Also, some people are probably going to ask why the Gringotts crew tend to be faring well in Skyrim than that Hogwarts crew. First off, the Gringotts crew are not arrogant wand-waving wizards, their mostly battle trained warriors and, unlike Wizards, are familiar with combat. Bill, as a Cursebreaker, has already had a few adventures/jobs with Grimtooth and some of the other goblins in this crew. To be honest, I was influenced by a little known action film called "Sahara" from several years ago. Basically, think of Bill as a younger magical version of Dirk Pitt and Grimtooth as a goblin version of Al Giordino.

Any typos or mistakes are mine and I will correct them as I re-read the chapter.

* * *

 ** _On the road to Aftland...doorway to mystery, adventure, impending doom, and other crazy stuff along the way..._**

Lucia rode alongside the covered wagon belonging to the Gringotts group. Though she was a passable rider when it came to horseback, she was thankful that Harbinger Silandra loaned her Shadowmere. Most horses tended to be skittish around her due to the fact that they could sense her true feral nature as a predator, but the large black stallion didn't really seem to care. In fact, he almost gave her bored look as she mounted up and only mildly snorted when she gave him light kick in the sides to get moving.

After the brief stop at Saarthal, they resumed their trek towards Aftland. By now, the expedition had expanded to two wagons, one for transporting troops and the covered one for supplies. All five of the companions assigned were on horseback with her being their default leader to her being a member of the inner-circle. She bristled at being designated as the "first among equals", but the four other companions deferred to her despite a few of them being a couple years older.

"You have to be learn to be charge sometime, kid," Farkas had told her before they had parted company at Saarthal. "You're not a cub anymore, and you're more than a whelp. Besides, it could be worse, Delvis could have been assigned to you."

After that conversation, Lucia decided the older wolf had a point. Yes, it could be worse and she would have had to deal with that arrogant piece of mammoth dung for the whole trip. Not only that, she was sure that Delvis would once again attempt to antagonize their guests and the last thing she needed was another brawl especially while on an expedition.

 _On the other hand,_ she thought, _the bastard now knows not to underestimate these people._

She smiled as she remembered the outlander known as Bill Weasley catching Delvis off guard with a little slight of hand before sucker-punching the man and pinning his foot to the ground with a dagger.

 _Definitely not a milk drinker. He may not be warrior, but he moves like a thief or an assassin. His body suggests that he has that kind of physical training. I would probably have to take a closer look to be sure…_

She paused for a moment and shook her head, hoping nobody saw the slight blush on her cheeks.

 _Whoa, where in Oblivion did that come from?_

She shoved those thoughts aside as she had Shadowmere pull up alongside the covered wagon. Up in the driver's seat, a goblin was handling the reigns to the horses pulling the wagon while Bill Weasley was looking around at the area. They had entered a part of the road that was surrounded by light wooded areas and Lucia could see the red haired outlander squinting slightly.

"Something on your mind, Weasley?" Lucia asked.

The man shrugged and shook his head. "No, I'm just having a trouble thinking about how beautiful this forest is," he replied, giving her an amused smile. "And how easy it would be to ambush us right now."

Lucia didn't hide her smirk. Oh yes, this man definitely had the instincts of a thief or an assassin. She momentarily closed her eyes as she reached out with her enhanced senses (a new ability she was still not quite used to since becoming one with the beast blood). For a couple seconds, she was overwhelmed by a myriad of scents. Thankfully, she had heeded the Harbinger's lessons about filtering out the more common scents and focusing on "what does not belong". A couple more seconds later, she filtered out the scents of her fellow companions and the expedition members as well as the standard scents from the natural surrounding area.

That left her with scents of human sweat and the slight salty smell of an Argonian. Reaching out further, she could smell the faint smoke of a nearby campfire further up ahead and possibly off towards the south.

"Dammit, Outlander," Lucia grumbled. "You just had to be right."

"So I'm not paranoid?" Bill asked her.

"No."

"How many and where at?"

"Not sure, but I suspect a few of them might be hiding out in the trees."

"Damn," Bill muttered before he turned and pulled aside a flap to the wagon. "Hey, Tooth, I think we got a Mayan temple thing going on here."

"Oh bloody hell!" Lucia heard the echoed shout coming from the wagon.

 _What in Oblivion? The goblin is in the wagon, but why does it sound like he's in the middle of a cave or large empty room? And why do I smell cooling metal? Does he have a forge in there? How!?_

A few seconds later, she heard cursing in an odd language and something crashing before being followed by what sounded like the heavy lid of a storage chest shutting. Then the flap was pushed aside as Grimtooth climbed out and joined Bill and the other goblin on the upper seat.

"Hey, Slanter, you might to want to slow down," Bill said to the goblin handling the reigns. The goblin nodded and had the horses slow down while shouting a command in his native language that immediately had all the goblins slow down to a crawl.

"Why are we slowing down?" Ironfang demanded from the other wagon transporting the rest of the Goblin personnel. "I gave no such order!"

"Shut it, bean counter!" Grimtooth snapped before Lucia saw him hand Bill what appeared to be a pair of duel monocles surrounded by a heavy bronze frame and containing two glowing gems.

Lucia watched as Bill put the weird item on his head, the gems covering his eyes while Grimtooth pulled out a matching item and put it on as well.

"Dammit, Bill, you really have to tell me how you do that," Grimtooth growled softly.

"A combination of paranoia and expecting the worst to happen," Bill replied. "I got two in the trees on my side up ahead. What do you have?"

"One up in the trees over here and two hiding behind a log a little further down," Grimtooth replied.

"How do you want to do play it?" the goblin called Slanter asked. "I'm sure we've aroused their suspicions by slowing down."

"Keep going," Bill replied. "They may be assuming that we've slowed down as a precaution of coming into a wooded area." He took off the apparatus he was wearing and put it in his jacket, but Lucia didn't miss the slight twitching movement he made with both of his forearms. "If we keep going, they'll probably think they still have the element of surprise and they won't suspect that we know they're there. Tell the other goblins we're 'playing possum' and to be ready."

Slanter shouted out the message in Gobbledegook that got a roar of laughter from the rest of the goblins except for Ironfang.

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Ironfang half whined/growled in English. His question was met with more snickers from his fellow goblins.

Dreydon, one of the companions assigned to Lucia pulled up alongside her. "Possible ambush?" he asked quietly.

"Yep," Lucia answered as she gestured with her head at Bill and the two goblins. "And these guys know it too."

"Okay, I'm confused," Dreydon said. "I thought these outlanders were weak and clueless when it came our world. Most of the ones at the castle seemed to be."

Lucia smirked at the Dunmer. "I get the feeling that this particular group isn't as weak and I wouldn't call them clueless. Maybe a little uninformed, but not clueless. These goblins and the Breton with them are definitely not milk drinkers."

"Yeah, I noticed. And speaking about the goblins, do you think these goblins might be linked to the goblins that once inhabited Tamriel or even the Rieklings of Solstheim?

Lucia stared at her fellow companion for a moment before shaking her head. "I think you've chosen the wrong calling, Drey," she chuckled. "For someone in the warrior trade, you sound a lot like a scholar."

"Nah, not thrilling enough," the Dunmer shot back. "Besides, can you really see me sitting in a lecture hall at the Raven Rock Citadel?"

Lucia's face scrunched slightly, an eyebrow raised as she imagined her friend sitting behind a podium lecturing a bunch of students on third and fourth era histories and their connection to the previous eras. Then she shook her head to make that image go away. "Divines, no! That's just not right...you look scary in scholar robes."

Dreydon was about to say something when Grimtooth spoke up, cutting him off. "Okay, folks, we got movement. Bill, we got an archer in the trees!"

No sooner had Grimtooth got the warning out, an arrow came flying at Slanter, the goblin driving the lead wagon. An arrow that would have hit the goblin in the heart if a hand hadn't blurred in and, to Lucia's surprise, CAUGHT the arrow inches away from its intended target.

"NOW!" Bill Weasley yelled out as he jumped off the wagon with the arrow he had caught in one hand and his wand in the other. He shouted something else and a wave of energy exploded from his wand before forming a glowing dome around the entire party as he hit the ground before rolling back up on his feet. "Fifty seven seconds!" he shouted as several more arrows came down on their location only to be blocked by the glowing dome.

Lucia and her companions wasted no time pulling out their weapons and she noticed the goblins had jumped out of their wagon and were taking up defensive positions as well. "Nice barrier," she drawled as she dismounted Shadowmere and brought up her bow.

"Yeah, it has it's uses...for about another thirty seconds," Bill said.

Grimtooth joined them on the ground, carrying a small sized crossbow and still wearing the strange two gem apparatus on his head. "Dammit, Bill, why do you have to be right all the time!" he snarled as he placed a thin rectangular box on the top of his weapon.

"I keep telling you, 'Tooth, it's not about being right, it's about being paranoid," Bill countered.

"Damn, you're almost bad as that Moody bloke."

"Who do you think helps train us curse-breakers?"

"Should have figured," the small goblin snorted. "So...'dis me?"

Lucia watched in curiosity as Bill reached over and lightly tapped the goblin on the shoulder with his wand. Then her eyes widened in surprise as Grimtooth seemed to shimmer out of existence.

"Five minutes, 'Tooth," Bill said.

The space the goblin had occupied rippled for a second as he chuckled. "Only gonna' need it for four."

Lucia was about to say something, but Bill held up his hand to stop her. "Get your weapons ready, barrier going down in seven...six...five...four...three...two…one...go!"

The magical barrier protecting them immediately dropped and Lucia saw the rippling near invisible form of Grimtooth move quickly and the sound of a crossbow bolt being launched followed by a scream in the trees.

The goblin known as Slanter brought up his shield and blocked a couple arrows before drawing his curved short-sword. "Well, Weasley, shall we?"

"Yes, we should." Both men got up and started running toward a pair of bandits who had come out form further in the forest and started to charge them.

More bandits came down out of the trees to attack the caravan and Lucia found herself and Dreydon fighting off an angry Argonian and a Redguard that smelled like rum and onions. She saw the other goblins in the caravan fighting alongside the other companions and holding their own.

She watched as Bill stepped into towards one of his charging opponents, bringing his wand up and conjuring a small yellowish barrier that blocked the bandit's sword. At the same time, he brought up the other hand that was still holding the arrow he caught and brought down hard on the man's shoulder. The steel arrowhead plunged in between the reinforced leather pieces on the armor's shoulder and embedded itself into the man's flesh. Though it wasn't a fatal wound, the bandit cried out and staggered back in surprise.

The Breton followed by kicking the bandit hard in the stomach and causing him to double over and drop his sword. Before the man could recover, Bill kneed him in the face, knocking out a couple of the bandit's teeth before he slumped to the ground out cold.

Lucia used her bow to block an attack by her Argonian attacker and shoved him back. She then dropped the bow and pulled out her steel short sword. "You made a big mistake attacking us," she said.

The Argonian chuckled as it twirled it's long blade in one hand. "It's only a missstake if we fail, Companion," he hissed. "Besides, the rewards are well worth the risk."

Lucia blocked the Argonian's lunge and parried the blade to the side. "Care to explain that?"

"We know about these outworlders," the Argonian said as he and Lucia clashed swords a couple times. "We were ordered to destroy them and told to keep whatever valuables they had."

Lucia's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you working for?"

"That's none of your concern, Lucia of the Companions," the Argonian snorted. "Since you'll be dead and I will get the bonus for it." His head suddenly lunged forward, his jaw opening wide as he tried to attack her head.

Lucia immediately fell to her knees, shifting her weight to the side, causing the Argonian's mouth to get her shoulder instead. She hissed in pain as the fangs went through her leather armor, but that did not stop her from quickly pulling out her dagger and plunging it directly into the closest part of the Argonian, which happened to be in his unprotected belly.

The Argonian let out a startled gasp as Lucia then wiggled the blade around, causing more damage to his internal organs. There was a startled look in his eyes as he fell back from her.

"But-but, he said you were weak," he managed to say in his last breath.

 _Okay,_ Lucia thought, _now it's obvious someone ratted us out._

She was brought out of her thoughts as a Redguard's head went rolling past her legs, causing her to turn to see Dreydon pausing to wipe the blood off his ebony sword. "Now that was fun," the Dunmer said as he twirled his blade his hand once before tightening his grip. "So, who's next?"

Before Lucia could answer she heard the familiar sound of discharging sparks spell and saw Bill Weasley go flying back several feet before rolling back up into a crouch.

"Pathetic," screamed the bandit mage, magical lightning dancing around both her hands. "But I'm not surprised since I was told you Outworlders are primi-"

" **Expelliarmus** **!** " Bill shouted. A burst of energy exploded from his wand, almost instantly slamming into the shoulder of the high-elf magic user, throwing her back and up in the air.

However, Lucia noticed the surprised look on Bill's face as the bandit mage screamed in agony when her arm was torn off at the shoulder.

"Bloody hell, Weasley!" Slanter shouted. "What in the name of the ancestors are you packing in that thing?"

"It was just a disarming charm, I swear!"

"Well, you disarmed her alright," said a new voice as a large Nord walked out of the woods carrying a large battleaxe that faintly glowed a menacing red color. If that wasn't enough, the armor caused Lucia and the other companions to pause.

 _Daedric armor and weapons...this is not good._

"I must say, it's been amusing watching you Outlanders in action." The newcomer's voice was calm, cool, collected...something not usually associated with most Nords. Unfortunately, noting the scarring around the man's left eye and the long blond hair tied back in a ponytail, Lucia had a pretty good idea who this was.

"Shit, Karus."

The now identified Karus turned in her direction and smiled. "Companion Lucia, I must say that you have come a long way since your time as a street rat in Whiterun." Then his smile faded to a saddened expression. "It's such a pity that it's come to such an abrupt-"

 _ **THOK!**_

"End?" There was a confused and surprised look on Karus' face and on the faces of everyone present as they were now staring at the blood flowing down from the wound on his forehead where a crossbow bolt was now embedded. The large Nord dropped to his knees, the shocked look still stuck on his face.

A shocked look that still remained as his head suddenly separated from his shoulders before tumbling to the ground only to be followed by his body a couple seconds later. Lucia saw some of the blood splatter still suspended in air a few feet off the ground. Then she could make out a vaguely visible shape as the air started to ripple slightly before revealing an annoyed Grimtooth standing there with a crossbow in one hand and an axe in the other.

"Well now," Grimtooth said, wiping some of the bloodstains off his face. "That was kind of anti-climactic, wasn't it?"

* * *

 **October 23**

 _We encountered a few bandits who apparently thought we were easy prey. Sadly, for them, they will not be able to learn from their mistake. Though they had a magic user in their group, they were easily dispatched. Although Cursebreaker Weasley claims it was an accident and that he meant to merely disarm the rogue mage of their magical focus, there were no complaints from the rest of us. After all, technically, he did remove the focus of the other magic user when his spell removed their arm._

 _I managed to kill a couple of the brigands myself, while the rest of them were driven back by the rest of our group. The battle finally ended when Grimtooth killed their leader. After taking anything of value from the bandits, we continued on our way to Aftland._

 _On a curious note, we were informed by the Companions that there was a bounty on the man leading the bandit attack. I_ _t was discovered that we had inadvertently taken out one of their outstanding contracts. Upon learning the situation, they informed us that they would have to cancel the contract and forfeit the gold because we had taken out their bounty._

 _I am not sure what to make of the Companions as a whole, but there is no doubt that they are warriors. Though they know some magic, it seems to be more of the healing variety which is understandable given their profession. They also seem to be very honorable when it comes to contracts. We offered them some of the gold we took from Karus, but they politely declined, saying that they hadn't earned it. Should we set up a permanent base of operations, I may approach Ragnok with a proposal to contract this guild for future expeditions._

 _The youngest member of the Companions group, a human female named Lucia, has fallen in with Griphook and Weasley. She is very quick with daggers and a longbow and has a sharp wit to match her weapons. I shudder to think the damage those three would cause if they worked regularly together._


	4. Arriving at Aftland

**Disclaimer:** Skyrim and Elder Scrolls, owned by Bethesda. Harry Potter, owned by JKR.

 **Author's Note:** Okay, here we go. First off, changed Ironfang's entry at the tail end of chapter 3 and did some minor edits and corrections (on mistakes I caught...I'll probably find more). Also, there is some more stuff going on. I've been hinting at on some connections about the goblins, this chapter will cover more of it. There's not much combat in this chapter, but mostly setting things up for the next chapters of the current story arc. I've also talked to Trojan Seeress and she's given me some information about her Sandbox that I do intend to honor. While my story is set in her 'verse, I think I'm safe with what I'm doing and what characters I'm using. If I do anything major in a key location, I'll message her first before I go for it. Also, there is a group I will be bringing in called "The Way of Truth and Shadows" (or simply "The Way"). I'm still working on this group, but think of them as a sort of secretive "Illuminati" style organization within Goblin Society (or, for those of you who are familiar with a certain sci-fi gaming property...think "Word of Blake" when it comes to hoarding secrets and manipulating how civilizations need to evolve).

* * *

 **A few hours away from Aftland...**

They had spent a few hours recovering from the attack and taking care of their wounded; surprisingly, the expedition had no fatalities. A few goblins and one of the companions did sustain injuries, but a few healing spells and some potions took care of that. Then the companions and the goblins, despite Ironfang's protests, took time to go through the bodies of their attackers for supplies and gold.

Grimtooth was surprised when Lucia offered him Karus' Daedric armor. The goblin chuckled slightly and shook his head. "In case you haven't noticed, Lucia, it's not my size...or my style."

"True, but it's your kill," Lucia said. "But if you don't like it, you could always sell it to a local smith or armorer. Daedric armor and weapons do fetch good coin."

"Or you could just melt it down in the workshop and use raw the metal for other goodies," Bill added as he joined the two of them, a couple of books in hand. "I got these off that crazed mage that tried to kill me. There were a couple others, but I think these would be useful." He then paused as he saw Lucia smile at him. "What?"

"It's nothing," Lucia laughed. "I keep forgetting that you're a mage, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you would take a couple spell tomes."

"Hey, if I can learn to do more wandless magic while I'm here, you better believe I'm going to learn it, especially with these two."

"What do you have, Bill?" Grimtooth asked.

"This one is called 'Healing Hands' and the other is titled 'flames'." Then Bill frowned. "Sadly, the language reads like old English with some Welsh thrown in. If I get a free evening or two soon, I'll read up on them. They'll definitely come in handy." He then pointed at the armor that Grimtooth was looking at. "So what are you going to do with that?"

The goblin shrugged. "Not sure yet. I am thinking about melting it down like you suggested, but something is off with this armor." He handed part of the armor to Bill. "Care to tell me what's up with this chest plate?"

Curious, Bill took the piece of armor from his friend and examined it. "Don't see what's wrong with it, although I'm sensing some magic to it." He held it up to get a closer look. "It looks like pretty sturdy material, feels like it too. Kind of surprising despite it's weight...ah HA!" He quickly pulled out his wand and cast a diagnostic spell on the armor to reveal any enchantments on it. "Oh, very clever."

"Bill?"

"Apparently this armor has a couple enchantments on it. One is to make it feel lighter and more comfortable to the wearer than it is...the other enchantment appears to be some sort of healing spell." Bill then looked over at his friend. "Would you mind if I borrowed it for a bit?"

"Be my guest," Grimtooth said. "But I'm keeping his axe and the daggers."

Bill couldn't help chuckling at that. "You would."

"You should wear those weapons with pride, Grimtooth," Lucia said. "You killed a very dangerous man. Most Nords will respect you now when they learn of what you've done."

The young goblin rolled his eyes. "Oh great, now THAT is something I don't need. No offense, Lucia, but I'm not a warrior. The last thing I need is to have a reputation of being something I'm not. Keep in mind that I kind of cheated by sneaking up on him when I shot him in the head before decapitating him."

Lucia nodded in understanding, but she was still smiling. "I understand that, but Karus wasn't exactly an honorable man. At the very least, most will consider what you've done as a public service."

Grimtooth let out an annoyed sigh. "I suppose you're right, but I'd like to keep it low key. As I said-"

"You're not a warrior," chorused Bill, Slanter and a few other goblins before they broke out in laughter along with a few of the Companions.

"Bloody gits, all of you," the young goblin grumbled.

"And then there's the two thousand gold for the bounty," Lucia said, a smug grin on her face.

Grimtooth's head suddenly snapped to the side to look in her direction. "Whoa...wait, hold up, say again? Did you say two thousand gold?"

Then Lucia let out an exaggerated sigh. "But if you really don't think much of your accomplishment, I suppose that I, or others, could give in to greed and falsely claim that we did it. It would damage our personal honor, but we would do it in favor of knowing that we helped you out by keeping your reputation in tact."

"Like hell you will!" Grimtooth snarled. "I could use that gold to get more equipment."

His reaction got more laughter from the others and he couldn't help joining in a few seconds later.

That was when Dreydon the dark elf spoke up. "Bill Weasley, a question if I may?"

Bill studied the dark elf for a moment, finding himself involuntarily doing a mental comparison between a house elf and the man standing in front of him. He immediately shoved that aside, feeling that it was disrespectful. Besides, he saw this dark elf fight and he certainly wasn't like the elves back home. "Sure, go ahead, but please just call me Bill."

"Very well then, Bill. That spell you used on their mage, was it some sort of combat spell from your world?"

Grimtooth managed to stifle the laugh that was threatening to explode out of his throat, but a few of the other goblins failed to hold back some silent snickers.

Bill gave the dark elf a sheepish grin. "Dreydon, was it?"

"Yes."

"Well, I suppose you could say that." Bill wasn't quite sure how to explain it. "I'm not quite sure how I screwed it up up like that; it's actually meant to only disarm your opponent. Basically, when used, it's meant to remove the target's magical focus or weapon."

Dreydon nodded in understanding. "Ah, that makes sense then. Your spell sounds like it is purpose or intent specific. If that was the case, then there was nothing wrong with your spell; it functioned as it was supposed to. You said it goes after a target's magical foci and disarms them." The Dunmer then chuckled softly. "Your enemy was channeling her magicka through her arms and hands and your spell did what it was supposed to...it disarmed her."

"Ouch," Lucia grimaced, "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that spell might be deadly here given the fact that most of our magic users don't use foci. There are some that use staffs, but only for particular spells, but almost everyone channels their magic through their bodies."

Her fellow Companions nodded in agreement.

"You might want to keep quiet about that spell, Bill," Dreydon said. "It might be a simple 'disarming' spell where you're from, but to us it might as well be the magical equivalent of a bound weapon spell."

"Not sure if I quite get the reference, but I see what you mean," Bill said giving the dark elf a nod. "Y'know, depending how things go, I might have to introduce you to Mad-Eye, you two could probably compare notes on combat magic."

"Oh bloody hell, NO!" snapped Grimtooth. "Mad-Eye's crazy enough as it is...we don't need Scholar-Warrior Man here trading ideas and theories with him." He then glanced over at Dreydon. "No offense."

"None taken," Dreydon replied. "Though I am curious about this 'Mad-Eye', is he a warrior?"

"No, not exactly." Bill found himself at a loss to describe what an auror was to these people. "You could say he was into law enforcement. He dealt with darker magical criminal elements in our world."

"Sounds like a noble profession, he sounds like he would fit in with us despite being a mage."

"Yeah, except he's paranoid and will do whatever it takes to bring the threat down," Bill said. "He's also pretty good with a knife since he feels the need to have something to fall back on should he lose his wand. And who knows what weapons he has stashed in that fake leg of his."

"Fake leg?" asked Lucia.

Bill nodded his head. "Yep. Lost his real leg several years ago, now has a peg leg. Wouldn't surprise me if he has a back-up wand or other weapons stashed in it."

"I correct myself," Dreydon laughed. "He definitely would fit in with us, though his mentality would probably fit more with the Dawnguard."

Lucia couldn't help smirking at that, the thought of someone like Isran meeting someone more paranoid than he was still had her laughing as the caravan resumed their trek towards Aftland. The next few hours were uneventful though Lucia could hear what sounded like someone hammering away at a forge on the main wagon. She looked up and gave Bill a questioning look.

"Something on your mind, Lucia?" the redhead asked.

"I'm curious...does your friend have some sort of small forge on that wagon?"

Bill gave her a knowing grin. "Something like that. Once we set up up camp, I'll show you 'The Shop'."

"Won't be much longer once we exit this pass," Lucia said as she gestured towards a clearing further up the road where Bill could make out the faint outline of a stone tower.

"Is that Aftland?" Bill asked.

"More like the front door," Lucia replied.

Bill poked his head into the wagon. "Hey, 'Tooth," he called out. "we're here, you might want to check this out."

Once again, Lucia's enhanced hearing allowed her to hear the sound of someone climbing what a flight of steps followed by a heavy door slamming shut before the young goblin poked his head out of the wagon.

"Bill, this had better be good, because I just got around to melting down that-" Grimtooth stopped in mid-sentence was he saw the old stone structures and towers of a long forgotten city built into the side of a mountain. "Bloody Hell," he whispered in awe.

"Indeed," Bill said, a big grin on his face as he was lost in the wonder of being in very well preserved ruins of a large city that, according to their sources, was thousands of years old. He then glanced at back at Lucia. "And you said this is only the front door?"

Lucia's response was a smile before having her horse pull ahead of the caravan and lead them into the city. After another hour, they had reached a small camp that was set up at the base of one of the towers in the middle of the city. She couldn't help hiding her amusement as the Breton and the goblins of the Gringotts group marveled at their surroundings and were debating about the use of the miles of the stone roadways that came down from the towers and connected most of the other structures.

As she dismounted from Shadowmere, Lucia was greeted by members of the College who were already there researching the area. "Companion Lucia, welcome," greeted an Altmer mage wearing a simple tunic and trousers as well as heavy boots.

"Master Brell," she returned in a slightly exaggerated tone and a big smile.

The high-elf shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Dammit, Luc, you know I hate the formalities."

"Well, you started it," Lucia giggled, "calling me 'Companion Lucia'."

"Well, since you're a now a member of the Inner Circle, we have to go by certain protocols."

"I've only been a member of the Inner Circle for less than a year and I'm not old...er...experienced enough to warrant such respect," Lucia stammered. "Experienced...yeah...that's what I meant to say."

The Altmer couldn't help laughing at the young woman's discomfort. "Yeah, we'll go with that. Because I really don't think Aela would want to know that you think of her as 'old'."

"Two words, Brell: Sam's party."

The Altmer's golden skin became a very unhealthy pale as his smirking expression became one of absolute fear. "You-wouldn't..."

Lucia gave him an evil grin and nodded. "In a heartbeat."

They both glared at each other for a moment before suddenly breaking out in laughter as Lucia stepped forward to give the man a hug. "It's good to see you, Brell, and congratulations on achieving your rank."

The Altmer mage stepped back and shook his head. "Master Brell," he grumbled. "I'm never going to get used to hearing that. That makes me sound like some ancient scholar who should be stumbling around a lecture hall while battling impending senility."

Lucia gestured at the man's dusty clothes. "Brell, in order to that, you'll have to wear the traditional clothing and not constantly work out in the field."

"But it still doesn't stop Silandra from forcing me to give two lectures a year."

"Only for you to keep your credentials. Besides, your lectures are looked forward to by everyone, and not just the mages."

"True," Brell admitted. "But I hate dealing with other speakers. They look down on people like us because we believe in ACTUAL research and looking into the things we are studying."

"Actually, those are just the idiots visiting from the Synod."

"I know that, but I think the Archmage intentionally schedules my lectures around the same time those fools visit to spew their misinformed garbage."

"Hey, someone has to be the one to counter their idiocy with the truth, and you're very good at it," Lucia said, smiling again as she remembered the last time Brell was at the college. "I'm sure the last Synod speaker will remember that since you managed to hammer the truth into him with your fist AFTER you destroyed his arguments in that debate."

"That actually sounds like something I would pay to see," interrupted a new voice. Both Brell and Lucia turned to see Bill Weasley standing there. "Sorry to cut in, but we're offloading some of the supplies we brought from the college, where do you want them?"

"Brell here will tell you," Lucia replied. "Brell, this is Bill Weasley, he's from that other world that the Hogwarts group is from. Bill, this is Master Brell, master of enchanting, destruction, alteration, and historian." She then stage whispered, "But don't remind him of that, he prefers to poke around and dig in ruins."

Brell gave the man a curious look. "Odd, you don't seem like the fools from the Hogwarts group." he said before shaking his head. "Sorry, no offense, but I meant to say that they seem woefully under-prepared for this world, but you," he paused for a moment to gesture at the goblins who were pulling supplies and equipment off the wagons, "are different."

"Well, to be fair, the children in that group are still in their first year of learning and the adults, sadly, are set in their ways." Bill couldn't help wincing as he said this, clearly thinking about what he had heard about how his mother and youngest brother were reacting to this world. He offered his hand to the high-elf. "Hope you won't hold that against all of us."

Brell's eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly shook Bill's hand. "You've seen things from outside your world, haven't you?"

Bill smiled. "Seen them, watched them, and even survived some of them. Now...about those supplies."

Brell appeared to be lost in thought for a moment before he came back to reality and released Bill's hand. "Oh, yes," he said as he gestured at a couple tents at the end of the camp, just behind where the wagons were parked. "Place them in those tents and I'll have our people go through them. If you're looking for a place to set camp, you're more than welcome to set up anywhere or in one of the nearby buildings we have marked as being safe."

"Thanks, I'll tell the others," Bill said before nodding at the two of them and walking back to talk to the goblins.

"Curious," Brell said as he watched the Gringotts group start setting up camp, getting a questioning look from Lucia.

"Brell?"

The high-elf shook his head. "Nothing Lucia, it's just a gut feeling."

Lucia's questioning look became one of concern. "Okay, now I'm worried. When YOU get a gut feeling, it tends to brings us some problems."

Brell chuckled at that and nodded. "True, but this is different. It's hard to explain, but you know how I can get a sense of various people?"

"Yeah." Then Lucia frowned slightly. "Don't tell me you think he's up to something."

"No, nothing like that," Brell assured her. "By looking at him and the auras of the others, I can tell that they are not from our world. But in the case of Bill Weasley and that younger goblin he is talking to, their auras look a little faded...as if they have been touched by our world before…or at least elements of it."

Lucia glanced back at Bill who was helping Grimtooth offload a very large chest that had various markings and words painted on it. Tiny colored pieces of parchment were pasted all over with pictures of deserts, snow covered mountains, castle ruins and texts on them. But what caught her attention were two words painted on the front of the chest in what look like Imperial Standard that loudly proclaimed, "THE SHOP".

She briefly recalled her earlier conversation with the Breton where he had mentioned showing her "The Shop". But he couldn't mean that chest, could he? Yes it was larger than the average chest seen in Skyrim, but still...nothing special.

But when Bill and Grimtooth opened the chest, she immediately could smell the familiar sulfurous and metallic tang of a forge.

 _Impossible, they have a forge in there?_

Then she watched Bill step into the chest and proceed to descend as if he were going down a flight of steps before completely disappearing out of sight. Grimtooth climbed over the side and proceeded to follow Bill.

 _What in Oblivion…?_

"Well," Brell said, breaking her train of thought, "there's something you don't see every day." He turned to smile at Lucia. "Something you want to tell me, Lucia?"

Lucia shook her head as she started to walk over to the chest with Brell trailing a few feet behind. "This is new to me, Brell," she said. "But if this is what I think it is, I believe Bill was going to show it to me later."

They reached the chest just as Bill Weasley was starting to rise out of it, carrying a couple backpacks. He paused and smiled at them. "Oh, hello," he said casually as if what he was doing was of no concern. "Is something wrong?"

Instead of answering, Lucia just gestured at the chest.

"Oh, this?" Bill asked, a mischievous look in his eyes. "It's the shop, well...to be fair, it's Grimtooth's workshop, I just hang out there and help out." He then tossed the bags on the ground outside the chest and gestured at Lucia and Brell. "Well, come on," he said as he proceeded to descend what was clearly a flight of steps. "You do want to see this, don't you?"

For a moment, Brell and Lucia stood there, dumbfounded at what they were seeing. Then Brell smiled at Lucia again. "Okay," he said, "they may be backward, but this is definitely something new." He then proceeded to step into the chest, followed closely by Lucia.

For a couple seconds, it looked like they were descending into a dark hole, but once they had passed what had been the bottom of the chest, Lucia and Brell found themselves standing on a small landing connected to a spiral staircase that descended into a brightly lit chamber. In one corner of the chamber, Lucia could see a small forge surrounded by a few workbenches along with a couple weapon racks.

The rest of the chamber seemed to consist of a small archery range and she could make out a section where a half dozen beds were at. And, much to her surprise, there was what appeared to be a doorway at the other end of the chamber.

Bill Weasley and Grimtooth were waiting for them when the reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Welcome to The Shop."

* * *

Back in his own private wagon, Ironfang quickly cast a couple warding spells that prevented anyone from entering. Though he was certain that no one would want to disturb him, he didn't want to take chances. While no one in the party wanted to deal with the "irritable and useless bean-counter" they believed him to be, it was better to be safe than sorry. Granted, he was going to kill them all eventually, but they were still needed to complete his mission.

 _Although,_ he thought, _they would kill me if they knew the truth._

Part of him regretted what he had to do, but he knew there was no other way. If that Bosmer bitch and her bastard son had not come to their current plane of existence, this would not be necessary.

 _The past should stay dead and buried. Our ancestors paid the price and it's only by luck that we had not followed in the path of The Lost._

He pulled off the ornate medallion he was wearing and placed it on his desk. Then he pulled a glowing red crystal out of the main desk drawer and placed it on the medallion. A moment later, the air above the medallion began to ripple before a tiny glowing fissure opened up and formed into a glowing window.

"Warden Prelate Gnarl," Ironfang said in greeting to the being on the other side of the portal. "We have reached the Lost City of the Founders designated as Aftland."

"Has the party begun excavating the Black Reach facility yet?"

"No, Warden Prelate, they intend to rest before resuming the operation tomorrow."

"Do they suspect you?"

Ironfang shook his head and chuckled. "No, Warden-Prelate, they do not. As for as they are concerned, I am a washed-up has been warrior who is a mere account acquisitions manager. I am a bean counter and nobody to them. They do not take me more seriously than that."

"Very good, Inquisitor Ironfang. Your mission parameters remain unchanged. Acquire what you can from the Founders Archives, then make the arrangements for your party's...retirement."

"We may have a problem, Warden Prelate. The nephew of Gringotts Director Ragnok is here. He may be suspicious if his nephew were to perish."

There was a malicious chuckle from the Warden Prelate. "Perhaps, Ironfang, but that will not be a problem. Ragnok has started to become more than a nuisance to our order. He and his faction are coming dangerously close to violating the tenets set down by the Way of Truth and Shadows. He will be removed once you have completed your assignment. With his death, those who follow him will know better than to oppose their superiors. Perhaps you will teach them the error of their ways when you return and take the Director's position."

"Perhaps I will," Ironfang said, an evil grin on his face. He then terminated the connection to the Warden Prelate by removing the crystal off the medallion. He held the crystal in his hand, taking a moment to examine it before putting it back in the desk drawer.

"Director Ironfang," he spoke out loud to himself. "Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"


	5. Interlude: What's Really Out There?

**Disclaimer:** Elder Scrolls, owned by Bethesda. HP, owned by JKR.

 **Authors Notes:** Okay, this is a flashback scene and a crazy idea I had for trying to flesh out some things. I'm playing fast and loose with some ideas and I'm trying to build up some back story to this world while not making too much of a mess in Trojan Seeress' sandbox (which is why you won't see much interaction with characters from her story unless I okay it with her and she was nice enough to give me some background information and plot points...which I WILL NOT be revealing unless she says otherwise).

What I am going to do however (and to be honest, I got some of this idea from Slayst's "Knowledge Comes at a Price" fic which is awesome and has a twisted sense of humor), is bring in certain "princes" into this. And for the record, imagine Michael Wincott (back when he had the long hair) with a slight aristocratic air and still speaking in his slightly deep raspy voice (for reference: check out his performance as Top Dollar in the original Crow movie).

All I'm going to say is that this gives a little background to Bill Weasley and some of the forces in his life that made him want to explore and "see what's really out there". Granted, those forces might have an agenda of their own, but I'm going to say that this particular force isn't really good or evil in this little segment.

Anyway, if people like this idea, let me know. If not, I'll scrap this and delete it.

* * *

 _ **Gringotts Bank**_

 _ **London, United Kingdom**_

 _ **Nine years ago…**_

Bill Weasley couldn't help looking around in wonder as he stood in the lobby of the bank. Though he had been here once before when he was about to start his first year at Hogwarts, he never got a chance to really look around. But that was understandable given that you had You-Know-Who and his Death Eater followers running around killing everyone. People tended to do their business quickly and got the hell out of there, fleeing to the safety of their homes.

But all that changed last October when Voldemort met his end at the hands of Harry Potter. It wasn't quite a year, but people were starting to relax a little and Mr. Weasley felt comfortable taking his family outside the safety of the Burrow. Today in particular, Arthur had brought Bill with him to Gringotts to make purchases for Bill's second year at Hogwarts while Molly had stayed home with Charlie, Percy, and the twins.

He had learned quite a bit at Hogwarts last year and he was looking forward to learning more. But he also realized that the books weren't cheap and that his father would probably take him to the second hand bookstore first to find used copies of second year textbooks before giving up and purchasing new copies at Flourish and Blotts if there weren't any old ones available. However, it was during such a trip last year that Bill discovered a beaten up old book about ancient runes and rune-based magic that literally opened his eyes to the world around him. He still couldn't believe that such a subject was pushed to a third year "elective choice" especially when it was explained that runes were practically the building blocks that most wards in the Wizarding World required to function. But more importantly, the book taught him how to see the runes of a magical item or building.

And to think it was in a bargain bin at a used bookstore for only twenty knuts. It was easily his favorite book because he always seemed to pick up something new whenever he read it. Whoever this Hermes Oamaru, he was bloody brilliant and Bill made a habit of keeping the small battered black book with him.

And it was thanks to Hermes Oamaru's book that Bill was now looking in wonder in the middle of the Gringotts lobby while his father did business with one of the goblin tellers. His father gave him an odd look when he said he was happy to wait in the lobby, but simply dismissed it and followed the goblin to where one of the carts to the vaults was waiting.

Bill was still smiling as he used his "runesight" and slowly walked around the lobby as he watched the various glowing and interlinking strands of magic spread throughout the bank. Glowing dots that the book called "nexus points" for various runes were everywhere...the ceiling, the walls, the floor, and even just floating there in the air in front of him, pulsating various colors that Bill suspected had various different functions.

"Bloody cool," he murmured softly. Then he became aware that he just bumped into someone. He almost lost his balance and started to fall before he felt someone grab him by the arm to keep him upright, but that didn't stop his favorite book from falling out of his coat.

"Pay attention to your surroundings, young man," he heard a someone say. Bill blinked a couple times to dissipate the effects of the runesight and found himself staring at a tall gentleman with sharp facial features and long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. "Failure to do so could possibly result in fatal consequences."

"Sorry," Bill said as he got a better look at the man who was dressed in expensive robes and wore what appeared to be some sort of small ornate amulet with a strange symbol of looked like a blinking eye surrounded by writing tiny strands of gold that looked like there were alive. Bill could sense that this was a man of power and wealth who did not tolerate fools easily. For a moment, he was wondering if that evil Malfoy man had a twin brother with black hair instead of silver. "I didn't mean to."

He was about to bend down to pick up the book that had fallen out of his coat, but the man had beaten him to it. He was expecting the man to sneer at him in a condescending manner for being in possession of what looked like a tattered and worn old book.

"To See the Unseen: An introduction to Runes and Their Functions," the man read, "by Hermes Oamaru." He then looked at Bill and, much to he boy's surprise, smiled. "Well done, young man," he said as he handed the book back. "You were using runesight, weren't you?"

"Um...maybe?" Bill reluctantly admitted, sounding like the proverbial child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "How did you know?"

The man's laughter echoes slightly through the lobby. "Young man, I remember when the author first put these out," he said. Then his amusement faded slightly. "Sadly, his material was ahead of the time and most magical schools say his work was not acceptable to be taught to young magic users."

"Why not?"

The man sighed and shook his head. "Because it's 'non-traditional' and many believe that certain things are not to be taught if they do not adhere to tradition. Oamaru's books would be considered the muggle equivalent of heresy. It is why people like Grindelwald and others made it a practice to destroy most of his works fifty years ago. What you have there is an original copy...and is probably worth quite a bit of gold."

"Well, I happen to think he's brilliant," Bill said.

"He was indeed," the man said, giving the boy an appreciative nod. "And I'm certain that he would be happy to know that his knowledge hasn't been lost." He then paused for a moment, a contemplative look on his face before he spoke. "And as I said, it is worth quite a bit. I'd be willing to buy it from you."

"Why?" Bill asked.

"I won't state the obvious, young man, but I know that you could use that gold. And a young man like you shouldn't have to settle for second-hand items."

For a moment, Bill thought about what he could do with the extra gold, but something in his gut made him shake his head. "No," he said. "My family will make do with what we have, and this book was 'second-hand'...and I'm not done reading it."

The man's black eyes gleamed for a moment as he spoke. "Are you sure, William Weasley?" he asked. "That is your final decision?"

"Yeah," Bill replied, starting to feel a little uncomfortable at the glare he was receiving. "Like you said, Oamaru wouldn't want to see this knowledge locked up even if it was in a private collection."

Then, once again to Bill's surprise, the man chuckled and gave Bill an honest smile. "Congratulations, boy, you passed." He then brought up his hand and tiny piece of parchment flashed into existence which he then held out to Bill. "And you can have this."

Bill cautiously took the tiny piece of paper from the man and read it. At first, the writing appeared to be strange scribbles, but they immediately began to twist and shift around until reforming into proper English.

VOLUME TWO CAN BE FOUND IN O'RIORDAN'S USED TOMES AND TEXTS

Then, one moment after he had read it, the parchment vanished in flames.

"Ah, the Fidelius charm," the man said. "Quaint but useful, is it not?"

Bill's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you?" he asked.

The man gave him an enigmatic smile. "Names can be dangerous, William, and I am known by many as are some of my associates. But I'm better known here as Lord Halcyon Philemon Liebencroft." He then looked up and gestured over Bill's shoulder. "And it would appear that our conversation is over for now."

Bill turned in the direction Lord Liebencroft was indicating and saw his father and the goblin teller coming back from the vaults. He then turned to see the man walking away. "Wait," he said, "how do you know who I am?"

Liebencroft looked over his shoulder and grinned at the boy. "Someday, you'll figure it out." He then turned and resumed walking away. "You have embarked on a very interesting journey, young Weasley," he called out as he reached the front doors of the bank. "And we will be watching your progress." And then, without another word, he exited the bank, leaving Bill to stand there lost in thought as his father walked up to him.

"Bill, who was that?" Arthur Weasley asked, concerned that his son had obviously been talking to a stranger, especially given the fact that there were still Death Eaters lurking about, hiding among society.

Before Bill could answer, he was cut off by a chuckle from the goblin. "It's okay, Mr. Weasley," the goblin assured him. "That man is one of our biggest clients, Lord Halcyon Liebencroft." Then the goblin's expression became more serious. "He very rarely comes in, though. Usually does his business by proxy through various intermediaries."

"Then why was he here and talking to my son, Talon?"

The goblin shrugged. "I don't know, but know this; Lord Liebencroft will only directly deal with people he deems worthy of doing business with. Your son obviously impressed him."

Arthur looked back at his son. "Bill?"

"I didn't do anything, Dad," Bill said. "We were just talking about runes and my book." He took out his book and showed his father.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Oh, that old thing. Bill, most of that information is outdated and no longer of any use."

Bill was about to argue but was cut off by a low whistle from the goblin. "More like rare, Mr. Weasley, not outdated." He then looked at Bill. "You do realize what you have, don't you?"

"A first edition copy by Hermes Oamaru, yeah," Bill replied. "He even offered to buy it from me."

"And you turned him down?" The goblin raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. Then he looked at Arthur and grinned. "Your boy shows strong character, Mr. Weasley. If he can turn down Liebencroft, that says much about him."

Arthur was to say something, but Bill cut him off. "That reminds me, Dad, can we go to O'Riordan's Used Tomes and Texts first?" He was about to tell his father why, but found himself unable to say why. For a moment, this puzzled him until he remembered what Lord Liebencroft had said about some sort of charm.

Arthur pulled out a pocket watch and looked at it. "I don't see why not, but I would have figured you would have wanted to look for used brooms for Quidditch this year."

Bill shook his head. "Maybe later, but if we can get the textbooks taken care of first, we won't have to deal with the long lines later in the day. Who knows, we might be able to find most of what I need there."

Arthur shrugged. "Okay than, but remember we only have a couple hours. I still don't feel safe being out here in Diagon Alley for too long. You-Know-Who maybe be gone, but some of his followers are still out there."

"I understand your concern, Mr. Weasley," Talon said. "While the dark lord did not attack Gringotts directly, some of his followers did hit a couple of our enclaves. I lost four of my brothers to those bastards. I would have been next if I hadn't built some of those traps into my home."

"Really, what spells did you use?"

"Spells," the goblin snorted in amusement. "Funny thing about you wizards...you rely to much on magic that you sometimes forget there are non-magical things that can still hurt or kill you."

Mr. Weasley nodded in agreement. "I agree...I even heard that the muggles have recently developed a device called a 'gun' that can kill just as easily as a killing curse. I shudder to think of what they could come up with a mere century from now."

Bill noticed an odd expression on the goblin's face, it was almost as if the goblin knew something but seemed hesitant to say anything. Instead, Talon bowed his head slightly at the older man. "I assume our business is concluded, Mr. Weasley."

"Yes, Mr. Steelgrave." Arthur replied, nodding his head in response. "As always, you've been helpful."

As they exited the bank, Bill was still thinking about the look he saw on the goblin's face when his father talked about the muggle device called a "gun".

 _He knows something,_ Bill thought. _Could there be more to the Muggle world that we don't know?_

He then thought back to the conversation he had with Lord Liebencroft.

" _ **Sadly, his material was ahead of the time and most most magical schools say his work was not acceptable to be taught to young magic users."**_

" _ **Why not?"**_

" _ **Because it's 'non-traditional' and many believe that certain things are not to be taught if they do not adhere to tradition. Oamaru's books would be considered the muggle equivalent of heresy. It is why people like Grindelwald and others made it a practice to destroy most of his works fifty years ago..."**_

That's when the realization hit Bill.

 _It's not just the muggle world,_ he thought to himself. _What if there are things in our world that we don't know about, things that have been forgotten, lost, or hidden because it was declared "non-traditional"?_

He stopped for a moment, letting his father continue on without him as he engaged his runesight once more and looked out at the street. He could see the entirety of Diagon Alley lit up, pulsating rune lines and ward points saturating the area. It was beautiful and distracting, but he forced himself to ignore all that as he looked skyward.

What he saw was what could only be described as some sort of glowing dome overhead, encompassing the area and the rune strands throughout it that pulsated an almost malevolent red glow that seemed to warn people that they should not look beyond a certain point.

And it was at that moment that Bill asked himself a question that shaped his life from that point:

 _What's really out there?_

He didn't know the answer, but he was determined to find out.


End file.
